


At the End of All Things

by SkepticalBeliever



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 11:25:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5454863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkepticalBeliever/pseuds/SkepticalBeliever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the calm before the storm and Zuko contemplates what he could lose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the End of All Things

_"To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die."_

Zuko listened to Iroh's strategy without really absorbing any of it; he understood the gist. The White Lotus was to reclaim Ba Sing Se; Sokka would lead the girls in taking out the air ships; he would confront Azula.

He hid his trepidation well, schooling his features into a mask of quiet determination. Only the trembling of his fingers betrayed his anxiety. Azula was his sister. He loved her. He hated her. If he had any ambitions of living beyond this day, he would have to beat her. He swallowed a hard lump.

Iroh continued speaking, laying out the best approach for Sokka to take. Sokka interjected frequently, politely disagreeing with the former general's strategy and offering alternatives of his own. Zuko watched them, his uncle and his best friend. It struck him that this could be the last time he heard his uncle's confusing proverbs or Sokka's harebrained schemes coupled with bad jokes. He desperately wished he could join them, to remain by their sides until the end because he had never had a brother before and he had only just got his uncle back. But no. They had their roles to play, and he had his.

His eyes slid to Suki--brave, intelligent, unfailingly kind Suki. She would keep the others out of trouble. If they somehow found themselves in a mess, he knew he could trust her to clean it up and then kick Sokka's ass for him when it was all over. The Kyoshi Warrior met his gaze steadily, offering him a subtle nod, a promise. He returned it gratefully. _Bring them home_.

Toph seemed to be the only one unperturbed by the situation. A smirk stretched across her face, still soft and round from adolescence. She cracked her knuckles absently. One way or another, she knew that it would all end today; she seemed oddly contented by this notion. A twinge of envy struck him. He wished he could borrow that unwavering confidence; he would need it in his fight against Azula, but Toph would need it more.

He had saved his reflections of her for last, though he doubted he did so consciously. Katara sat across from him, her eyes downcast, hair falling around her face, and mouth pressed in a hard line. Tension rolled off her slight shoulders in waves. She was a powder keg waiting for a match.

How far had they come? The young woman before him scarcely resembled the tentative girl he had met all those months ago. Back then, she could barely wield her element in her hand, let alone use it against anyone. Now one arm could strike with the force of a hurricane while the other gently applied the water's soothing balm. He knew her hands were rough, worn from training and exertion, speckled with little white nicks and cuts. He knew her arms were both strong and gentle. He knew that, while she wielded water, her blazed with fire.

Everything she is, she made for herself.

He openly gazed at her, taking in her worn hands, strong arms, thick curls, and downcast eyes. She was unlike anyone he had ever met, more himself than he was. An emotion stronger than the fear he felt for his uncle and Sokka, the gratitude he felt for Suki, or the envy he felt for Toph gripped him. Were it not for her, he would still be sailing around the world on a fool's errand. When she cracked open that iceberg, she set his world into motion. His life, his destiny was inextricably bound with hers.

He spoke her name and she looked up sharply, drawn out of her reverie. For a fleeting moment, everything else faded from view and there was only them, two spirits tethered to one another in ways that they could not yet full understand. He idly wondered what she way as she gazed at him; he saw confusion, curiosity, and something else, which flickered away too quickly for him to identify.

He asked her to join him. The answering curve of her lips was all the answer he needed. She had set his world into motion. It seemed only fitting that there, at the end of all things, she would stand beside him to meet its conclusion.

_"To die by your side, well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine."_

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little something I put together to honor Zutara month. The quotes at the beginning and end of the piece come from the song "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by The Smiths. Please let me know if you enjoyed it or if there is anything you think I can improve.


End file.
